Woman charged with killing of boyfriend at west-side apartment complex

Tuesday

May 21, 2013 at 9:43 AMMay 21, 2013 at 10:07 AM

A woman charged with murder in the death of her boyfriend first told investigators that she was “playing around” with a shotgun Monday and fired it accidentally.

By Jenny Arnoldjennifer.arnold@shj.com

A woman charged with murder in the death of her boyfriend first told investigators that she was “playing around” with a shotgun Monday and fired it accidentally.But investigators suspected that something was wrong with the story Erika Sutelman, 21, told them. According to an incident report, Sutelman, who moved to Spartanburg from New Hampshire about a week ago to be with David Allen Moholland, said that she thought the “safety was in the ‘on' position on the weapon while they were playing around” at Crown Pointe Apartments. She pulled the trigger, firing a round into Moholland's chest, the report states.Capt. Regina Nowak said officers found a spent shell inside the apartment, where Sutelman and Moholland, 20, also from New Hampshire, were living with friends until they could find a place of their own. That indicated that Sutelman expelled the empty shell and racked another round into the chamber. One of the residents of the apartment told police that they heard the shotgun rack before hearing the shot.Nowak said Sutelman may have been angry at Moholland, who had been talking on his cell phone and texting another woman while he and Sutelman drove to businesses on the west side of Spartanburg and filled out job applications.“The woman (he was talking with) was a good friend of his,” Nowak said. “Sutelman said (the woman) was a lesbian, but obviously, it upset her. There was no arguing that led up to the shooting.”Moholland had lived with a longtime friend and his girlfriend at Crown Pointe for about 3 weeks, Nowak said. Both the friend and his girlfriend, witnesses to Moholland holding his torso and bleeding heavily, were distraught after the shooting and cooperative with police. Sutelman's demeanor was cool as she was interviewed by investigators, Nowak said.The residents of the apartment called 911, and Moholland's friend placed the shotgun outside the apartment while waiting for officers to arrive, Nowak said.Police tried to render aid to Moholland, but he died at the scene. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday, according to the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office.Sutelman remains at the Spartanburg County Detention Facility awaiting a bond hearing.